Building directly on the legacy of the original Oriental Football Club, the modern Oriental-Rongotai Rugby Club (affectionately known as Ories) stands as the proud, sole remaining rugby club on Wellington’s Miramar Peninsula.
Known by their distinctive black-and-white hooped jerseys, Ories has evolved from its early aquatic origins into a powerhouse community hub, heavily anchored by a rich multicultural identity.
1. The 1969 Amalgamation
By the late 1960s, the original Oriental club faced a structural roadblock. Based out of Hataitai Park, they were sharing fields with both Wellington and Marist, making it incredibly difficult to establish a dedicated neighborhood identity and a sustainable junior nursery.
In 1969, Oriental solved this by joining forces with the Rongotai College Old Boys (RCOB) club.
• The Ancestry: RCOB itself was a product of eastern suburbs rugby consolidation, having previously absorbed Seatoun FC (in 1936) and Miramar FC (in 1951, briefly forming Eastern Suburbs before renaming to RCOB).
• The New Home: The merger saw the newly minted Oriental-Rongotai relocate permanently to RCOB’s home turf—The Polo Grounds in Miramar.
New Zealand Rugby History
2. The Great Jubilee Cup Break (2011)
For over a century, championship glory at the highest level had eluded the club. Their only standalone Wellington Premier title had come all the way back in 1910 (though their WWII combined team with Poneke won titles in 1943 and 1944).
That changed in 2011. Ories broke a 101-year drought by storming the Wellington competition to lift the prestigious Jubilee Cup, cementing their place as a modern top-flight heavyweight. They backed this up with final appearances in 2012 and their 125th Jubilee year in 2013.
3. A Powerhouse for Women’s Rugby
In the modern era, Oriental-Rongotai has built an absolute dynasty in the women’s game. They became the pre-eminent powerhouse for women’s club rugby in the Wellington province, capturing the premier title in 2014 and 2017, and consistently feeding world-class talent into the Wellington Pride and the Black Ferns.
4. The Māori, Pasifika, and School Connection
Today, the club’s heart and soul is intimately tied to Wellington’s Pasifika and Māori communities. Ories draws an immense amount of its energy, flair, and playing roster from close relationships with local colleges—most notably Rongotai College and Scots College. The club culture operates as a true whānau (family), operating under the modern unifying chant: “O-TIDE!”
All Black Royalty
Ories has produced an elite tier of international rugby talent, including four modern All Blacks who collectively conquered the rugby world:
• John Gallagher: The brilliant 1987 Rugby World Cup-winning fullback.
• Ma’a Nonu: A local junior who played for the club from age four, eventually attending Rongotai College and winning back-to-back World Cups (2011, 2015).
• Julian Savea: “The Bus,” another Rongotai College product who dominated the wing during the 2015 World Cup triumph.
• Ardie Savea: One of the world’s most dominant loose forwards and former World Rugby Player of the Year.
